Vapor-stove



(No Model.)

C. M. HOLLINGSWORTH.

VAPOR STOVE.

No. 471,289. Patented Mar. 22. 1892.

Fig 2,

WITNESES.

NITE STATES AATENT Fries.

VAPO R-STOVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,289, dated March 22, 1892.

Application filed December 27, 1890. Serial No. 375,941. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-A

Beit known that I, CHARLES M. HOLLINGS- WORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor-Stoves, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to the class of vaporstoves which are first shown in my prior patent, No. 420,7 97, dated February a, 1890, and subsequently shown in other patents granted to me. In stoves of this class the volatile liquid hydrocarbon is fed drop by drop into a vaporizingchamber, where it spreads itself in a thin sheet on suitable evaporating-surfaces, which have a continuously-downward inclination for a considerable distance and generally until they enter the burner-shell. After these stoves have been burning for a little time the continued admission of a regular amount of the liquid hydrocarbon to the vaporizing-chamber, usually called the normal feed, preserves a constant and suitable flame at the burner; but when it is desired to first light the burner, if the valve is opened only far enough to supply this normal feed a very considerable time must elapse before enough of the combustible vapor is formed to feed a burner-flame. To avoid this delay, the valve may be opened at first farther than is necessary to supply the normal feed and enough liquid admitted in a very short time to flood the evaporating surfaces, after which the valve may be turned back to its position for supplying the normal feed. By thus flooding the evaporating-surfaces one is able to light the burner almost instantly; but when the surfaces have been flooded it is clear that all of theliquid may not, and in practice will not,be evaporated in the vaporizing-chamber orin the downwardly-inclined pipe which connects it with the burner shell, and as a result a considerable quantity of the liquid will be discharged onto the bottom of the burner-shell, or the same result Will follow an attempt to start the stove with the normal feed in a cold surrounding atmosphere. One result of this condition of things is that as the burners are practically constructed some of the liquid leaks through the joint at the bottom of the burner, creates a disagreeable odor, and renders the operation of the burner somewhat dangerous. Another result is that the liquid which accumulates on the bottom of the burner-shell will evaporate slowly and irregularly, and the vapor formed thereby .out attendant dangerous and disagreeable features above pointed out.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure l is a sectional elevation of a stove containing my invention, the burner-shell being shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a fragment of the burner-shell, taken at right angles to that shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section at the point indicated in Fig. l by the line A. Fig.4isalongitii di nal vertical section of the lower section of the conducting-pipe, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section through said part of said pipe. The last two figures show a modified form of the invention which is shown in the first three figures.

A reservoir l of any approved construction is suitably supported above a vaporizingchamber 4. A pipe 6 is connected at its upper end Vwith the lower end of the vaporizingchamber, andfat its lower end with the lower part of the shell of the burner 7. The vaporizing-chamber 4, (below the air-inlet from the pipe 3,) the pipe 6, and the burner-shell form together a closed conduit, through which the mixed air and vapor fiows by gravity to the burner-cap, through which it passes to be consumed.

5 represents a suitable evaporator arranged Within the vaporizing-chamber and below the valve-controlled outlet of the reservoir l. The liquid which is allowed to escape from the reservoir falls drop by drop onto this evaporator 5. The liquid spreads itself into thin IOO sheets upon the said evaporator, from which ith flows onto the walls of the vaporizi ng-chamber, and from thence continuously downward on the interior walls of the pipe 6.

lVhen the stove is operatingl properly under a normal feed, all of the liquid admitted to the vaporizing-chamber will generally be vaporized therein and in the conducting-pipe ti and will mingle with the air which is admitted to the vaporizing-chamber through the pipe 3, and the combined mixture of air and vapor will fall by gravity, and will, through the closed conduit formed by the vaporizingchamber et, the pipe (l, and burner-shell 7, be delivered through the perforations in the burner-cap, at which point it is burned; but when to start the burner quickly the valve is opened wider than is necessary to furnish the normal feed, or in a cold surrounding atmosphere even with the normal feed, some of the hydrocarbon still in a liquid form will not be evaporated in the chamber et or pipe G, but will be delivered into the burner-shell. The bottom of the burner-shell is therefore provided with an annular depression or gutter 2, and the lower part of the end of the pipe G, over which the liquid flows, is extended over this gutter.

S represents an absorbent material-for example, asbestus or cotton wicking-which lies upon the bottom of the burner-shell in the glitter' 2 and extends around the central drafttube to the opposite side of said burner-shell. One end of this wicking is fastened to the overhangin g end of the pipe 6, and the other end is in absorbing connection with a strip of the absorbent material 9, which maybe made of asbcstus paper, carpet paper, blottingpaper, or any other suitable material. This strip of absorbent paper is about half as high as the burner-shell and extends about halfway around said burner-shell and lies practically in contact with the interior walls thereof at a point directly opposite the infecd-opening. Y

l0 represents a strip of spring metal, which passes through slits in the paper and operates to hold the paper against the walls of the burner-shell. Any of the liquid hydrocarbon which has flowed down to the lower end of the pipe G is absorbed by the wicking 8. When this is saturated, the liquid is still further absorbed by the absorbent paper 9. After the burnerhas once been lighted the valve, which had been opened wide to flood the evaporating-surfaces, is closed to the point where the liquid is fed at the normal rate to said chamber. Then as the iiame continues at the burner-cap little by little the liquid which has been absorbed by the absorbent material, as before explained, is evaporated and mixed with the vapor which is passing to the burner-cap. The arrangement of the absorbent material against the interior wall of the burner-shell and at the point directly opposite the infeed-opening thereto is the best arrangement for producing the most satisfactory results, because, first, the heat of the burner-shell will assist the evaporation of t-he liquid which has been absorbed by the strip 9, and, second, the combustible vapor which has been formed in the vaporizingchamber and pipe 6 as it enters the burnershell is projected across the chamber inclosed thereby against the paper 0, and the vapor' produced by the evaporation of the liquid which has been absorbed by the said paper 9 is thoroughly mixed with the other vapor which has entered from the pipe G.

In order to facilitate the connection of the wicking S with the pipe 6 the end of said pipe is provided with the integral lateral tongues ll and l2, which are bent down onto the ends of the wicking, as shown. If desired, the wick S need not be connected with the pipe G, but may be cut oif at the points indicated by the lines 13. The two parts of the wick will lie in the gutter 2 and be connected, as before described, with the absorbent paper t), whereby substantially the saine result will be pro duced, or any equivalent of the wick might be employed to make the absorbing connection between the strip 9 and the surface on which the liquid is spread.

The modification of this invention (shown in Figs. e and 5) is designed particularly for ready application to vapor-stoves which have already been made and sold.

ll represents a tube made of asbestus paper, carpetpaper,or other suitable absorbent material. Its meeting edges are bent inward, as shown,whereby the paper tube is expanded and forced into contact with the pipe 6, into the lower end of which said paper tube is :inserted. This paper tube will, like the other form of the inventlon,absorb so much of the hydrocarbon liquid as flows into contact with it by reason of the liooding of the surfaces, and will deliver this liquid up in the form of a vapor after the burner has been in operation a short time and the feed of liquid to the vaporizing-chamber has been reduced to the normal feed. Thisform of the invention, like that first described, is well adapted to cause the vapor produced bythe evaporation of the liquid, which has been absorbed by the tube ll, to be thoroughly mixed with the vapor which descends the pipe G.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is t l. In a vapor-stove, the combination of a vaporizing-chainber having an air-inlet in its upper end, means for admitting a volatile hydrocarbon liquid to said vaporizing-chamber and spreading it on suitable evaporatingsurfaces inclosed therein, a conducting-pipe connected with the lower end of said vaporizing-chamber and forming with ita conduit, through which the vapor and unvolatilized liquid flows downward, a burner-shell connected with the lower end of said pipe and forming a continuation of said closed conduit, and an absorbent material in closed with- IOO IIO

IZO

in said conduit and in absorbing connection with the surfaces onto which the unvolatilized liquid will iiow, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a vapor-stove, the combination of a vaporiZing-chamber having an air-inlet in its upper end, means for admitting a volatile hydrocarbon liquid into said chamber and spreading it on suitable evaporating-surfaces inclosed therein, a conducting-pipe connected with the lower end of said vaporizing-chamber, a burner-shell connected with the lower end of said pipe, and a strip of absorbent material inclosed within the burner-shell and in contact withits wall at a point opposite to that at which said shell is connected with said pipe and in absorbing connection with the surfaces onto which the unvolatilized liquid will flow, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a Vapor-stove, the combination of a vaporizing-chamber having an air-inlet in its upper end, means for admitting a volatile hydrocarbon liquid into said chamber and spreading it on suitable evaporating-surfaces inclosed therein, a conducting-pipe connected with the lower end of said Vaporizing-chamber, a burner-shell connected with the lower end of said pipe and having an annular gutter in its lower end, said pipe having a tongue on its lower end, which extends into said burner-shell, a strip of absorbent material inclosed within the burner-shell and in contact with 4. In a vapor-stove, the combination of a vaporizing-chamber having an air-inlet in its upper end, means for admitting a volatile hydrocarbon liquid into said chamber and spreading it over suitable evaporating-surfaces inclosed therein, a conducting-pipe connected with the lower end of said vaporizingchamber, a burner-shell'with which the lower end of said pipe is connected and into which a tongue on the lower end of said pipe eX- tends, said burner-shell having an annular gutter in its lower end, a strip of absorbent material inclosed within the burner-shell and in contact with its wall at a point opposite to the infeed-opening to said burner-shell, a strip of spring metal adapted to hold said absorbent strip against the burner-shell, and a wick lying in said gutter, having one end connected with said absorbent strip and having its other end connected with the end of said pipe by means of integral lateral tongues formed thereon, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

lVitnesses ALBERT H. BATES, E. L. THURsToN. 

